William Strangeway and Hazel Wyness emerged as the marathon champions on a record breaking day at the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon and Festival of Running.

Around 6,000 runners set off at 10:00am on the spectacular point to point journey along the south eastern shores of Loch Ness towards Inverness, part of a record 11,100 participants across the sold out festival.

Strangeway of Lincoln Wellington AC led the marathon home in 2:20:16. It was an impressive performance on a demanding course and came in his third marathon of the year.

There was Scottish success in the women's race as Metro Aberdeen's Hazel Wyness claimed her first Loch Ness title. Wyness reached Bught Park in 2:52:05, improving her marathon personal best by more than two minutes.

The scale of the day stretched well beyond the front of the marathon. Runners had travelled from across the world, with 58% of marathon participants coming from outside Scotland and an international field representing 45 countries. The marathon had reached its 6,000 entry capacity after selling out earlier than ever before.

There was outstanding racing in the River Ness 10K too. Inverness Harriers' Megan Keith produced a course record 31:24 to claim her third victory on home ground, while Logan Rees won the men's race for a second time in 28:52.

The River Ness 5K and Wee Nessie added thousands more runners and families to a festival that filled Bught Park and the streets of Inverness throughout the morning.

The champions supplied the headline performances, but the enduring image was once again thousands of runners making that extraordinary journey beside Loch Ness towards a Highland finish line.

Full results are available via the runABC race hub here.

Image courtesy Baxters Loch Ness Marathon.